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| Iraq |
| Eyeing Iran - Why W'S tapping Admiral to head CENTCOM |
| 2007-01-08 |
| January 6, 2007 -- WORD that Adm. William Fallon will move laterally from our Pacific Command to take charge of Central Command - responsible for the Middle East - while two ground wars rage in the region baffled the media. Why put a swabbie in charge of grunt operations? There's a one-word answer: Iran. ASSIGNING a Navy avia tor and combat veteran to oversee our military operations in the Persian Gulf makes perfect sense when seen as a preparatory step for striking Iran's nuclear-weapons facilities - if that becomes necessary. While the Air Force would deliver the heaviest tonnage of ordnance in a campaign to frustrate Tehran's quest for nukes, the toughest strategic missions would fall to our Navy. Iran would seek to retaliate asymmetrically by attacking oil platforms and tankers, closing the Strait of Hormuz - and trying to hit oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf emirates. Only the U.S. Navy - hopefully, with Royal Navy and Aussie vessels underway beside us - could keep the oil flowing to a thirsty world. In short, the toughest side of an offensive operation against Iran would be the defensive aspects - requiring virtually every air and sea capability we could muster. (Incidentally, an additional U.S. carrier battle group is now headed for the Gulf; Britain and Australia are also strengthening their naval forces in the region.) Not only did Adm. Fallon command a carrier air wing during Operation Desert Storm, he also did shore duty at a joint headquarters in Saudi Arabia. He knows the complexity and treacherousness of the Middle East first-hand. STRENGTHENING his qualifications, numer ous blue-water assignments and his duties at PACOM schooled him on the intricacies of the greater Indian Ocean - the key strategic region for the 21st-century and the one that would be affected immediately by a U.S. conflict with Iran. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #7 Besoeker, does your posting this means he ain't a perfumed prince? |
| Posted by: Pappy 2007-01-08 21:46 |
| #6 Ralph states the obvious |
| Posted by: Captain America 2007-01-08 19:31 |
| #5 Striking Iran's nuclear weapons facility would begin to get at the cancer in the mideast. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2007-01-08 14:47 |
| #4 preparatory step for striking Iran's nuclear-weapons facilities - if that becomes necessary. The sun may rise in the east. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-01-08 04:40 |
| #3 Gromky, have you forgotten? "Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer." |
| Posted by: Chuck 2007-01-08 03:08 |
| #2 Missing NORTH KOREA and TAIWAN, etc. - can prob add SOMALIA to the list. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-01-08 01:22 |
| #1 Isn't this the guy who was cozying up with the chicoms? Performing information "exchanges" where we get nothing and the Chinese get everything? Just saw something on TV the other day where a launch arrived from an American destroyer, and the Chinese smiled and laughed and ganbei'd with the buffoonish Americans. |
| Posted by: gromky 2007-01-08 01:07 |